SYDNEY — Brodie Kostecki achieved a historic victory in Australia’s prestigious Bathurst 1000 race, maintaining the lead from pole position for over six hours and completing a total of 161 laps. This triumph marks Kostecki’s first win in this iconic event, breaking a two-year streak where pole-sitters had not secured the victory since 2021. He and his co-driver Todd Hazelwood managed to narrowly fend off challengers Broc Feeney and Jamie Whincup, finishing just over a second ahead in what turned out to be one of the fastest editions of the race ever recorded. Keeping the momentum going, Will Brown and Scott Pye claimed third place, resulting in a clean sweep for Chevrolet in the top three positions.

Ford Mustang drivers Cam Waters and James Moffatt followed in fourth place, marking them as the top representatives of the Ford team in this competition. Having finished second in the previous year’s event, Kostecki managed to lead the race comfortably until the intervention of the safety car was prompted due to an incident involving Matt Payne, who crashed into the wall during the 132nd lap.

As the race resumed after pit stops for fuel and tires, the final 27 laps raced on as an intense sprint to the finish. The top contenders displayed fierce competitiveness, exchanging fastest lap times, but Kostecki began to pull away in the closing moments, ultimately leading to Hazelwood securing his first victory in Supercars. “I can’t believe it,” exclaimed Kostecki. He expressed gratitude towards Hazelwood, highlighting the impressive performance throughout the weekend: “I knew we had a fast car and we tuned it up well for the end there.”